Tales From the Tower
by PennyStarling17
Summary: A collection of drabbles, headcanons, and prompts. If you have a prompt, my tumblr ask is always open!
1. Chapter 1

"Would you like another drink, Miss Potts?" Tony offered her a full glass of wine.

Pepper grinned, "Don't mind if I do, Mr. Stark." She took the glass, barely aware of the fact that if she had been less drunk, she probably wouldn't have.

Tony began detailing some of the Avengers' latest missions, waving his hands about as he jabbered.

Pepper leaned against her hand, watching him as her other hand fiddled with the necklace he had given her several years ago as a birthday present.

Coming to a rather abrupt decision, one she wouldn't have had it not been for all of the drinks, Pepper cut him off, "Tony!"

He looked at her, startled. "Yeah Pep?"

"We've been dating for four years and I'm just going to say that I'm kind of tired of waiting for you to propose. So I'll just do it."

Pepper unsteadily stood, missing the shock on Tony's face and tried to go down on one knee. The problem was that the room tilted suddenly and she stumbled.

Tony's arms shot out and he quickly caught her. Helping her sit down, he grinned and said, "I'd love to marry you, Miss Potts."

She raised her head. "Good, because I've already asked JARVIS to make invites."

Tony bit back a chuckle and murmured, "Glad I don't have to," before leaning in to give his fiancée a kiss.

(Somewhere, a shield agent cried out, "About freakin' time!")

* * *

Prompt/headcanon: Pepper gets tired of waiting for Tony to propose to her, so she proposes to him. (While drunk). Unbeta'd.


	2. Chapter 2

Nervously twisting her fingers together, Jane looked around, eyes quickly falling on Darcy.

"They're late," she stated uneasily.

"Chill'ax boss," Darcy drawled, fiddling with her iPod, glancing up from under her glasses. "I'm sure they'll be here soon." She dropped her head back to look at Coulson. "Right?"

He nodded. "They should be here any second."

Jane nodded, accepting the quick squeeze of her hand from Darcy. She shot her assistant and friend a smile, glad she was here with her.

Darcy sat up. "You've got every right to be nervous, Jane. You haven't seen the guy in a little over a year."

Jane sighed, "I know. I just..."

"Are worried that he didn't miss you as much as you missed him?" At Jane's nod, Darcy gave her a bright smile. "He's head-over-heals for you! He probably missed you ten times more than you missed him."

Jane offered a tight smile. "That doesn't make me feel any better."

Darcy winced. "No, no, it wouldn't." She threw her arm around her friend's shoulder. "Just trust me, Jane. It'll all be alright."

She gave Darcy a grateful smile. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Darce."

Darcy opened her mouth to answer but was cut off with a booming "Jane?"

Jane and Darcy jumped to their feet as the Avengers came into view, Thor jogging slightly ahead.

He paused several feet away from them, eyes wide with disbelief. He hadn't been expecting to see either of them any time soon.

Jane made a soft sound before letting go of Darcy and running to Thor, who caught her easily.

She firmly pressed their lips together, hands pressed on either side of his face.

When they broke apart, Thor set her back onto her feet and Jane sternly told him, "Next time you save Manhattan from an alien attack, at least call me before you leave."

Thor laughed heartily, "My apologizes, Lady Jane." She smiled up at him.

Darcy came over and demanded, "Where's my hug?"

Thor and Jane laughed as Thor leaned down to firmly hug her. She pulled back and grinned.

"Good to have you back, big guy."

* * *

For the prompt/headcanon: Jane and Thor reunite sometime after the Chitauri attack. Unbeta'd.


	3. Chapter 3

"This is just like Budapest all over again." -Natasha Romanoff

"You and I remember Budapest very differently." -Clint Barton; The Avengers

* * *

"Hey Nat?" Clint called over his shoulder as he fired three arrows in rapid succession.

"What?!" She demanded as she tore her way through the crowd, dodging bullets and kicks.

"I may be wrong, but if I'm not and this is the last chance I have to ask... will you marry me?" he yelled, ducking as a man rushed at him. He quickly took care of him and moved onto another rebel, turning swiftly at the choked, wet sound of someone being stabbed in their throat. Natasha stood before him, dagger dripping with blood.

She locked cool eyes on him and pointedly shook her head.

"I'm sorry Clint," she murmured quietly.

He nodded, giving her a strained smile. "Forget about it, Nat." He fired another arrow. "'s not important."

Her hand reached out. "Wait, Clint-" An explosion cut through the air, halting her words.

"Let's go!" Clint grabbed her hand and pulled her after him, missing the inner turmoil raging in Natasha's eyes.

~Several weeks later.~

"Clint." Turning at the sound of his name, he was unsurprised to see Natasha.

"Hey Nat," he threw her a grin. "What's up?"

She pursed her lips, shrugging her shoulder as she came to sit beside him.

He looked at her for a few more seconds before turning back to lacing up his boots. He froze when he heard her whisper. Spinning back to look at her, Clint asked a quiet "What?"

She locked her eyes on him. "Will you," a pause. "marry me?"

Clint stared at her for a long moment, eyes searching for something. Finally, he opened his mouth to answer when Natasha's phone rang.

Her eyes didn't leave his as she answered, "Romanoff."

She listened and nodded, "We'll be right in."

"Mission?" his voice was strained.

She tore her eyes away and nodded, a lump forming in her throat.

She sprung up from the bed and walked away briskly, barely noticing him call, "Wait, Tasha!"

Halting at the feel of his hand on her arm, she still refused to turn to him. "We have a mission." she stated quietly.

He pulled her into his arms. "Yes."

She tugged away weakly, "So we should go."

He tilted her head up. "No Tasha. _Yes._"

She stared for a minute before pressing her lips to his. Clint's hand came up to tangle in her hair as she looped her arms around his neck.

Someone cleared their throat behind them. Breaking apart, they turned to see Coulson.

He offered them a smile. "Are congratulations in order?"

* * *

Prompt/headcanon:

Budapest is where Clint proposed to Natasha, thinking that they were going to die, only for her to turn him down. Unbeta'd.


	4. Chapter 4

Darcy hummed as she wandered around the lab area of Stark tower, or the newly dubbed Avenger's tower.

Maybe she could find Tony's office and get him to do something with her? With a shrug, Darcy opened another door and walked inside.

She noticed a man bent over, reading a spreadsheet. He hadn't reacted to her entrance. She slipped over to him and peeked over his shoulder.

"What'cha reading?" she asked softly.

Startling, he jumped away from her as she continued to look down at the spreadsheet.

"Who...?" he started to ask.

She stuck out her hand. "Darcy Lewis. I'm Dr. Foster's assistant."

Recovered from his earlier scare, he shook her hand. "Dr. Bruce Banner. Nice to meet you."

* * *

Darcy grinned as she looked around the restaurant. "This is nice," she said with a smile thrown at Bruce, who smiled back awkwardly.

Midway through their meals, Darcy noticed Bruce was shifting around, glaring over his shoulder every now and then.

She reached over to touch his hand. "Bruce?"

She jumped as Bruce shot out of his chair and ran out of the restaurant. Quickly dropping a 20 on the table, Darcy took off after him.

A few minutes later, they were alone in a deserted parking lot. "Bruce!" Darcy called as she came closer. He was gripping his hair and shaking, bent over at the waist.

Straightening abruptly, Bruce roared, skin expanding as a green hue bled across his pale skin.

Moments later, Darcy Lewis was standing in front of the Incredible Hulk.

She took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Hulk?"

He grunted then plopped down in front of her, a frown on his face.

Darcy cocked her head and reached out to touch him. "What's up, sweetie? Not that I'm not glad to finally meet you, but why'd you come out?"

Hulk grunted again and looked around before looking back at her. He picked her up with ease, holding her close.

She patted his cheek. "You ok?"

He nodded. "**BANNER ANGRY" **

"Why's Bruce angry?" Darcy asked. Hulk just shook his head and gently stroked her arm. She grinned after a moment. "I knew they had nothing to worry about!"

Hulk looked at her in confusion. **"WHY WORRY?"**

Darcy sighed and explained, "The Avengers are worried about whether or not you'd hurt me."

Hulk looked surprised and a little hurt. **"HULK NOT HURT DARCY. HULK LOVE DARCY."**

Darcy beamed. "I know sweetie. They're just being worry-worts." She leaned up and kissed his cheek. "I love you too."

He cradled her closely before placing her back on the ground. Slowly, Hulk shrunk back down to Bruce, who shifted uneasily and tightly gripped his pants to keep them from falling down.

Darcy wrapped her arms around Bruce. "Ok?"

Bruce sighed before hugging her back. "Ok."

~~Three Years Later~~

Darcy gripped her attacker's arm, trying to loosen his grip as he drug her backwards, gun pointed at her head. He yelled, "Back off or I put a bullet in her brain!"

Hulk roared, though he stayed in place, Tony floating near by.

_Come on Lewis, think!_ Darcy thought desperately. _They taught you self-defense, use it!_

Darcy took a deep breath and slammed her elbow into her attacker's gut. As he pulled away, she turned and kicked him in the balls. "Bastard!" she spat as Steve pushed her behind him. While she wiped the blood away from her lip, Hulk came up behind her and scooped her up.

**DARCY OK?" **he demanded.

She took a shuddering breath. "I'm fine, sweetie. I just want to go home."

He nodded, carrying her towards the jet.

After settling in, Hulk cardled Darcy carefully as she patted his cheek and talked to him quietly, trying to calm him down.

**"Darcy?"**

"Yeah?"

**"MARRY HULK AND BANNER?"**

She blinked and pulled back to look at him in shock. "What?"

**"BANNER AFRAID TO ASK. HULK NOT AFRAID. MARRY HULK AND BANNER?"**

He looked at her calmly, the green fading from his skin as he began to shrink.

Darcy nodded as the last of the green faded from Bruce's eyes. "Yes. Yes, I'll marry you." She threw her arms around Bruce, who held her close.

She looked him in the eye. "Both of you."

Bruce grinned and kissed her, feeling the Hulk smile in his head.

* * *

For the prompt/headcanon: Darcy runs into Bruce and the two eventually go out on a date. Their relationship continues and Hulk proposes to her. Unbeta'd.


	5. Chapter 5

"I just don't know what to do, Tony!" Steve snapped as he paced back and forth, hoping Tony would have some advice for him.

"Well have you ever just considered telling Bucky how you feel?" Tony offered.

Steve threw his hands up. "And if he doesn't feel the same?"

"And if he does?" Natasha asked as she walked in. "With Yasha, you never know."

Steve sat down and put his head in his hands.

Tony patted his shoulder. "Look, you love him and you know he loves you. You just need to figure out if he _loves you, _loves you."

Steve raised his head. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Natasha cleared her throat. "What Tony is trying to say is that you need to find out if Yasha loves you like a lover or as a friend and brother-in-arms."

Steve sighed. "How do I find out if he..."

Bucky quit listening as he fell back against the wall in shock. Steve loved him?

* * *

"Hey Bucky? I'm back," Steve called as he slipped off his shoes in the entryway of their shared apartment.

Bucky came into the room, but remained silent. Steve offered him a smile as he showed him the bag of take-out. "Hope you don't mind. 'm not up to cooking tonight."

He stared at him for a moment before turning and walking into the kitchen, stating, "I heard something interesting today."

Steve wandered after him, setting the bag on the counter and reaching to grab some plates. "What was it?"

Bucky stared at Steve's back and debated with himself before finally saying. "Well, I needed Stark to check out my arm. So I swung by his lab and you two were having an interesting conversation with Tasha."

Steve froze.

Bucky continued slowly, "Never knew you felt that way, pal."

Steve cleared his throat and set down the plates. He turned around just in time for Bucky to push him against the wall and firmly kiss him.

A startled sound came from Steve's throat before he came to his senses and kissed him back.

Bucky pulled away and cheerfully stated, "Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting to do that?"

Steve laughed breathlessly. "Shut up, Bucky," he murmured as he pulled him back in for another kiss.

* * *

Prompt/headcanon: Bucky overhears Steve telling someone that he's in love with him. Unbeta'd.


	6. Chapter 6

The fact that Steve wanted children wasn't a well-known. (Unless you were Bucky, who figured it out back in the 40's.)

It was a longing that couldn't be truly hidden, seen in the way Steve greeted children that were brave enough to come up to and talk to Captain America and the way he coaxed the ones who weren't out from their shells.

He never imagined that Bucky would want them too.

But he did.

Bucky wanted children more than anything.

When Steve discovered this fact, he sat him down and they talked it out, eventually coming to the conclusion that, yes, they both wanted children and yes, they wanted them soon. (They weren't getting any younger.) They discussed surrogates, pointing out that they wanted a baby, but were happy to adopt a child too.

By the time their conversation had ended, they came to the delicate conclusion that they were going to find a surrogate, one who wouldn't mind carrying a baby who's father was a superhero (and the danger that entailed.)

The next day, they asked Pepper for help, which she happily gave.

Within the month, they had met the surrogate, a charming young woman named Alyssia, and had worked out their game plan.

They were going to have a baby.

Now all they had to do was pick out the godparents and, you know, wait for the baby to actually get here.

* * *

Headcanon/prompt: Steve and Bucky decide to have a child by surrogate. Sorry if this one's kind of crappy, I wrote while half asleep. Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

Bucky rubbed the back of his neck as he came into Natasha's room. "Natasha?"

Her head popped around the door frame. "Yes Yasha?"

"I've got a quick question to ask." He shifted uneasily.

Natasha pulled on a sweatshirt and entered the living room. "Yeah?"

Bucky cleared his throat. "So, Steve and I've decided to have a kid."

She rose an eyebrow, unsurprised, "And?"

Bucky shrugged. "We were wondering if you'd like to be the godmother."

Natasha paused and stared at him, face carefully blank.

Bucky held up his hands, "It's alright if you don't want to-"

Natasha's arms wound their way around his neck as she pulled him into a hug. "I'd love to."

Bucky grinned, hugging her back. "You'll be great, Tasha."

* * *

For the prompt/headcanon: Steve and Bucky decide to have a child (through a surrogate or adoption) and Bucky chooses the godmother. Unbeta'd.


	8. Chapter 8

"Hey Tony?" Steve called as he entered Tony's lab.

"What's up, Cap?" Tony asked as he closed one of the many open holograms in front of him.

"I- um, have something to ask you." Steve shifted, an uneasy frown on his face.

Tony turned toward him. "And that would be?"

Steve coughed into his fist. "Um, so, Bucky and I are going to have a child and-"

"Whoa! When did this happen?" Tony demanded.

"Um... a few weeks ago?" Steve shrugged.

"Why didn't you tell me?! There's a crap load of stuff you've got to do! I can finish those plans for an electronic crib and-"

"Tony!" Steve cut him off. "Will you be the godfather?"

Tony froze. Turning to Steve, he asked, "Really?"

Steve sighed. "Yes. Really."

A maniacal grin lit up Tony's face. "Of course Cap. I'd be honored."

Steve looked at him, a feeling of dread forming in the pit of his stomach. "Tony?"

He laughed. "Don't sweat it Cap. I've got everything under control."

Steve muttered, "That's what I'm afraid of."

"JARVIS, where are those designs for the crib?!"

* * *

For the prompt/headcanon: Steve and Bucky decide to have a child (through a surrogate or adoption) and Steve picks the godfather. Unbeta'd. serialkiller19, I'm working on that Loki chapter for you. It'll hopefully be up by next weekend.


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